The Newcastle United defender is expected to fill in for Fabricio Coloccini when Andy Carroll makes his return to St James Park this weekend.
If you had asked Newcastle fans earlier this season about James Perch, their responses would not have been overly enthusiastic.
The defender was signed by Chris Hughton from Championship side Nottingham Forest, yet many believed that was the level he should have stayed at, and his presence in the club’s 5-0 defeat to Tottenham did little to dissuade fans from that view.
Yet in the past couple of games, at home to Norwich and away to West Brom, he has put in solid performances, after being given a new lease of life in the team.
He has made eight starts this season in all, and 10 substitute appearances, but none will be under the spotlight as much as Sunday lunchtime’s fixture.
With captain and central defence lynchpin Fabricio Coloccini ruled out, possibly for up to a month, it is not the ideal time for Andy Carroll to make his long awaited return to St James Park in Liverpool colours.
Perch is ready to play at centre-back, after impressing there against West Brom when Coloccini went off injured with his hamstring strain.
It could be a defining moment for the defender, in his battle to convince fans that he is worthy of a first team place in Newcastle’s famous black and white kit.
For Andy Carroll, the return will be a distracting affair, with the striker already admitting to nerves. Along with Liverpool defender Jose Enrique, the pair will encounter a very different Newcastle to the one they left.
Both players believed they were leaving behind a troubled club which would only go downwards, or at best stand still. Instead, Alan Pardew has managed well and bought sensibly, leading the club into sixth position.
Now eight points ahead of Liverpool, Newcastle will not want to let that lead decrease, and how James Perch copes with former Toon hero Andy Carroll may play a huge part in that.
Can Perch prove his critics wrong by keeping Carroll quiet? Let us know your predictions
image: © kong niffe
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